Funding to supplement school lunches during the summer didn’t make it into the unified version of the Wyoming budget for the next two years.
SUN Bucks is a 2024 U.S. Department of Agriculture program that provides $40 a month per child to families with low incomes during the summer, to help cover the gap that school lunches fill during the school year.
That money gets loaded directly onto an EBT (electronic benefit transfer) card, and families who qualify for the Supplemental Nutrition Access Program (SNAP) or other income-based benefit programs are automatically enrolled in states that participate.
Wyoming is one of a dozen states that haven’t opted into SUN Bucks since it launched in 2024. A bill to participate in the program failed during last year’s legislative session with a 34 to 25 vote.
This budget session, food security advocates pushed lawmakers to approve state funding for the program. State governments split administrative costs 50/50 with the federal government, which then fully funds the program.
Gov. Mark Gordon requested $1.8 million of state funding for SUN Bucks in his original budget proposal back in November. The Senate kept that chunk in its version of the budget, while the House did away with the request in its version. Ultimately, the funding didn’t make it through the Joint Conference Committee’s process of reconciling the two chambers’ different proposals.
Funding to cover the gap created by federal SNAP-Ed cuts also didn’t make it through the budget reconciliation process. But funding to support the Department of Family Services’ IT system was approved, which helps run the payment and management of programs like SNAP.
The House and Senate have approved that final version of the budget, which Gordon is expected to sign in the next few days.
Debate in the House
The question of whether or not to opt into the SUN Bucks program was an especially contentious topic on the House floor, with some lawmakers expressing concerns that it would create an over-reliance on the federal government.
Rep. Bob Davis (R-Baggs) introduced the amendment to fund the program for the budget’s third reading in the chamber on Feb. 20.
“SUN Bucks is intended to reach the children that are in most need. An estimated 32,000 children are eligible in Wyoming and it's based on the family's income,” he said. “Not all those families are going to do this because we do have the churches and the other civic groups out there to help fill in a lot of this. No one wants our children to go hungry.”
Rep. Scott Smith (R-Lingle) urged a no vote, pointing to already-existing programs at food banks and the importance of what he called “parental responsibility.”
“There's an element of pride that comes when a parent can go to work, take care of their child, feed their child,” he said. “When they get a handout, we'd take that away from them.”
But Rep. Mike Yin (D-Jackson) pushed back on the idea that food banks and schools are able to adequately meet the demand.
“Our community programs are saying they need help,” he said. “They need us to provide this program to assist them because there's more need than they can deal with.”
Rep. Jeremy Haroldson (R-Wheatland) emphasized that “we want kids to be fed,” but said he was worried about what he called a “chilling effect on local communities” when governments get more and more involved.
“We have a gal in our community that said, ‘I don't want any kid to be hungry in our community.’ She started a program to help feed kids through the summer as well as through the school year,” he said. “And I would ask, ‘Do you think she would have ever stood up and done that if there would have been more programs given by the government?’ I don't think so.”
Rep. Cody Wylie (R-Rock Springs) shared his own experience of watching kids come to a big parking lot to get bagged lunches from a summer lunch program. He said he didn’t see why people would urge no votes against SUN Bucks.
“ Our communities try to do what they can and as much as they can, but there's always holes,” he said. “If we can do a little bit to help feed some bellies, I don't understand why we're doing this.”
“We keep saying ‘feeding programs,’ he continued. “It's driving me crazy. These are kids. They're not cattle. We're just putting food in little bellies.”
Inaugural Wyoming Against Hunger Advocacy Day
Roughly fifty hunger relief advocates and leaders from across the state gathered for a day of action at the Capitol on Feb. 24. The event included a breakfast hosted by First Lady Jennie Gordon and the Wyoming Hunger Initiative, as well as conversations about legislative topics and what’s next after the session. Attendees also sat in on House and Senate floor sessions.
Kali McCrackin Goodenough is the food security policy advocate at the Food Bank of Wyoming.
“ Sometimes this work can feel isolating and lonely, especially in our very small towns where there's not as many partners to connect with and feel like you have community with,” she said. “To be in that room with all of us sharing the stories, sharing ideas, that was a pretty powerful moment.”
When it came to the discussion within the chambers around SUN Bucks, Goodenough said she was discouraged by some of the comments from those who urged no votes.
“Those comments weren't necessarily against the program as a program, but were more an ideological stance that I really disagree with,” she said. “I don't think that kids are learning political ideology based off food access. I think they're learning that their parents are able to put food on their table for them and I think $40 a month is not a luxury at the end of the day.”
Those in need of food assistance can find local pantries through the Food Bank of Wyoming, enroll in SNAP through the Wyoming Department of Family Services or call Wyoming 211 to learn about more community resources.
